6 4 



HA RD Wl CKE 'S S CIE NCE -GOSSIP. 



there must be considerably over 7,000 species enu- 

 merated, to each of which short but copious refer- 

 ences are attached, as to where it may be found 

 figured or described, the synonyms being also given. 

 As far as I have been able as yet to verify these, they 

 seem quite correct. Those who have been fortunate 

 enough to receive a copy will, of course, show it to 

 their friends, who will wish to obtain one also, and I 

 fancy Mr. Habirshaw will be induced to print off a 

 much larger edition, though, of course, not gratui- 

 tously, to supply the demand. — Fred. II. Lang, 

 Torquay. 



Microscopic Life of the Carboniferous 

 Limestone. — At the last meeting of the Chester 

 Society of Natural History, Mr. G. W. Shrubsole, 

 F.G. S., read a lengthy and interesting paper on 

 " The Microscopic Life of the Mountain Limestone 

 (foramenifera, radiolaria, entomostraca, poiyzoa, 

 &c.)." The various objects described had been 

 chiefly obtained from the mountain limestone of 

 North Wales and the neighbourhood. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Turning an Enemy to Use. — The United 

 States Entomological Commission, which was organ- 

 ized for the purpose of investigating and reporting 

 on the entire subject of insect ravages throughout the 

 western regions of the United States, have discovered, 

 by means of chemical analysis, that dead locusts will 

 furnish a new oil, which will be christened caloptine, 

 and a very large percentage of pure formic acid. 

 Though this acid exists in the ant and some other 

 insects, it is with difficulty obtained in large quanti- 

 ties ; whereas, by the action of sulphuric acid upon 

 the locust juices, it passes off with great readiness and 

 in remarkable quantity and gravity. The uses of this 

 acid, as a therapeutic, are capable of great and valu- 

 able extension, where it can be obtained so readily and 

 in such quantity. 



The Red-throated Diver. — When visiting in 

 Shetland two years ago, I had a capital opportunity 

 of witnessing the nesting of the Red-throated Diver 

 (Colymbus septentrionalis). Having been informed by 

 a Shetlander that the aforesaid bird had frequented a 

 certain loch the previous year, I was determined to 

 walk over thither, a distance of about six miles. 

 Accordingly I set out, but, in crossing the mountains, 

 encountered a very heavy shower of rain, which con- 

 tinued for the space of about an hour ; nevertheless 

 I succeeded in seeing the object of my expedition. 

 When on the summit of a mountain near my journey's 

 end, I descried the loch, and also the Diver swim- 

 ming leisurely about. This, however, proved to be 

 the male, for, on walking round the margin of the 

 loch, I saw the female sitting on her nest with out- 



stretched neck. She permitted me to approach within 

 about four yards of her. When I had stood for five 

 or six minutes to admire her beauty, she suddenly 

 dived from the nest, and all my efforts to see her 

 afterwards were unavailing. The nest was nothing 

 more than a slightly hollow depression on the very 

 edge of the loch, and contained but one egg, of a 

 more elongated form than usual, of a dark brown 

 colour, sparingly spotted with black. — C. D. Wolsten- 

 holme. 



Rare Birds Shot. — Lately there have been 

 the following rare birds shot : — A Merlin (Falco 

 sEsalon), shot near Wetherby on the 16th Decem- 

 ber, 1877; a Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), shot at 

 Castle Howard, on the 26th of the same month ; 

 and a Pied Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus), shot in 

 Ireland in January, 1878. The latter has a great: 

 quantity of white on the back ; the top of the head and 

 neck have also a little white about them. There is a 

 little white on the tail, and the tertials are nearly pure 

 white. — P. Thompson. 



St. Mary, Lambeth, Field Club. — This most 

 useful and unostentatious Natural History Society 

 was originated about six years ago by the Sunday 

 School teachers of the parish, who have been very 

 successful in diffusing and popularising a love of natural 

 history. It includes about thirty members, of whom 

 Arthur Eve, Esq., is president, and Mr. G. Masters 

 secretary. 



The Birds of Costa Rica. — At a recent 

 meeting of the Zoological Society of London, Mr. A. 

 Boucard, C. M.Z.S., read a paper, in which he gave a 

 list of the birds he had collected during a recent ex- 

 pedition to Costa Rica. The number of birds col- 

 lected during his five months' stay was about one 

 thousand in number, representing two hundred and 

 fifty species, amongst which were two new to science 

 {Zonotriehia boucardi and Sapphironia boucardi of 

 Mulsant) and many others of great rarity. 



" Sponsa's Headquarters." — I find I made two 

 mistakes in my article. They both occur in the list 

 of Diurni at the end of the article -.—Aglaja should 

 be omitted ; and, for Artaxerxes, of course Agestis 

 should be put. At the time I wrote the paper I was 

 much occupied with Artaxerxes, and suspect that was 

 the reason of the mistake. — Hastings C. Dent. 



BOTANY, 



The Inflorescence of Gourds. — The gratifica- 

 tion which I feel at the interest excited by my note on 

 the inflorescence of gourds and pumpkins is tempered 

 with regret at finding that I did not express myself 

 with sufficient clearness to be understood by your 

 correspondents, who seem to think that I had said 

 that fertile blossoms were expanded before any 

 staminate flowers had appeared on the same plant ; 



